"There might not be a lot of glamorous names," Affeldt said of the U.S. roster, "but you've got a good group of veterans and young guys that I feel form a good team with fire to say, 'We want to win this time, not just go through the motions.' "

Team USA, which fell short of the title game in previous WBCs (2006 and 2009), begins training March 1 at the Rockies/Diamondbacks complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the journey could last nearly three weeks if the Americans reach the championship game at AT&T Park on March 19.

The Giants have a shortened offseason after clinching the World Series on Oct. 28 and parading through San Francisco on Halloween, and players choosing not to participate have legitimate reasons - Posey hasn't had a full spring training since 2011, and Cain pitched 249 1/3 innings last year.

But for Vogelsong, 35, and Affeldt, 33, this might be their last crack at an international stage. In phone interviews, both acknowledged it's a reason they wanted to pitch in the 16-nation WBC.

"As much as I wanted to do this, it was still a difficult decision," Vogelsong said. "Obviously, my loyalty is to the Giants and my teammates to be in the best shape I can be, in our championship season. I talked to quite a few people about it, and they all said, 'Ryan, you need to go do this.' "

Naturally, starters need more time to build endurance for the season, and Vogelsong said he spoke with Cal Ripken Jr. about earlier preparation, hearing from the Hall of Famer that the older he got, the earlier he'd begin training. Vogelsong said he took just a couple of weeks off before throwing again.

Affeldt said he'll be in Arizona by Feb. 3, long before pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12, and expects to pitch once or twice in the Cactus League before the first WBC workout.

For the U.S. team, the tourney begins March 8 at Phoenix's Chase Field - one of four first-round sites - with Mexico, Canada and Italy in the Americans' bracket. The second round for the U.S. would be in Florida - second-round games for some teams will be in Tokyo - with the final four teams competing in San Francisco.

"I know I'm being selfish, but it would be awesome for me and Vogey to go to San Fran," Affeldt said. "That'd be special, but I'm sure Pablo and everyone else is thinking the same thing."

Posey, the National League MVP, could have been a huge WBC attraction, but management is relieved to keep him in Giants camp after closely monitoring his ankle injury last spring.

"He's the face of American baseball, and it would be fun to have him on the team," Affeldt said. "I can see both sides. But I think he made the wise decision. To make sure he'll be ready to compete at his level, he needs to be with the Giants. They're your employers."

Vogelsong added, "I'd love to see Buster on that team. Selfishly, as a Giant, I'm glad he's not playing. With all the rehab, it was a long season for him physically and mentally. He went through a lot. We sometimes forget how demanding it is. He'll have plenty of opportunities to do this."

Briefly: Sandoval was in a Venezuelan hospital with abdominal pain and colitis, according to tweets from his brother, Michael. The condition wasn't said to be serious, and he was to be released from the hospital soon.

Individual tickets for the March 17-19 championship round at AT&T Park go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at worldbaseballclassic.com

2013 U.S. roster

Player

Pos.

Team

Mark Teixeira

1B

Yankees

Brandon Phillips

2B

Reds

Jimmy Rollins

SS

Phillies

David Wright

3B

Mets

Joe Mauer

C

Twins

Ryan Braun

LF

Brewers

Adam Jones

CF

Orioles

Giancarlo Stanton

RF

Marlins

Ben Zobrist

INF

Rays

Willie Bloomquist

INF

D-backs

Shane Victorino

OF

Red Sox

Jonathan Lucroy

C

Brewers

J.P. Arencibia

C

Blue Jays

R.A. Dickey

SP

Blue Jays

Ryan Vogelsong

SP

Giants

Derek Holland

SP

Rangers

Kris Medlen

SP

Braves

Craig Kimbrel

RP

Braves

Heath Bell

RP

D-backs

Chris Perez

RP

Indians

Vinnie Pestano

RP

Indians

Luke Gregerson

RP

Padres

Glen Perkins

RP

Twins

Steve Cishek

RP

Marlins

Jeremy Affeldt

RP

Giants

Tim Collins

RP

Royals

Mitchell Boggs

RP

Cardinals

2013 World Baseball Classic

Pool A: Japan, Brazil, Cuba, China

Pool B: Australia, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Netherlands

Pool C: Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Spain, Puerto Rico

Pool D: United States, Italy, Mexico, Canada

Format

-- Pool play will be held March 2-March 10 in Japan, Taiwan, Puerto Rico and Arizona.

-- The top two teams from each pool advance.

-- Teams from Pool A and Pool B will meet in the second round March 8-12 in Tokyo. Teams from Pool C and Pool D will meet in the second round March 12-16 in Miami.

-- Four second-round survivors will play the semifinals and final March 17-19 at AT&T Park.